#PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
The Commons
CONTEXT: 22-acre Protestant church campus within a transitional light-industrial business park in Gilbert, Arizona
SITE: Starting with an existing campus of four buildings that needed connectivity, the architects
developed a campus masterplan. The Commons – a bookstore + café – is the first of the new buildings, continuing a long-standing relationship between the owner and architects. Located at the planned campus core, it fulfills the role of the social ‘third place’ for the growing church community.
CONCEPT: The inside-out ‘pavilion’ has transformed the campus by opening on all sides, becoming the
‘hang out’ for multiple generations. The crisp, modern expression, a departure from the campus context, provides spatial clarity, honest materiality and precise execution. Weaving pragmatic and poetic concepts, the owner is thrilled with the high-functioning, open-setting that offers a variety of
experiences under the iconic folded roof. The Commons, the highly-valued new addition to the campus, sets the new horizon for all future work.